Ashterra "Ash" Sinistra
'''Lady Ashterra Sinistra, Knight of Stormwind and Captain of the 45th Rangers Regiment (Alliance) Military Assistance Command, Azeroth - Studies and Observations Group (MACA-SOG) otherwise known as The Big Deal, Infiltrator of SI:7, First Finger Assassin of the Stormwind Assassins. '''More commonly called Ash, she is a deadly and mysterious individual. Hardly ever seen out and about and never seen in the same place twice. =Character Description= Ashterra has a commanding presence that belies her stature. She stands tall at 5'7" with a petite yet atheltic build; slight of form yet lithe. She moves with a fluid grace, like that of a serpent. She is constantly changing the way she wears her hair, but those who have known her for years (and there isn't many) will tell you she is a platinum blonde. Her eyes are dark and have a fierce gaze to them; piercing and focused, enough to unnerve even the largest man. Her skin is soft and alabaster of tone yet she is a being of sharp contrasts; sharp angualr features, high cheekbones and arching brows. Undeniably beautiful and graceful as they come, some would say she is beautiful like a lotus - magnificent yet deadly. =Character Biography= Ashterra is one of four children belonging to Lord and Lady Vromell Sinistra. She was born to a life of wealth and status that most do not know. Her early years as a child were happy and full of sunshine; there was nothing she couldn't have and nothing she couldn't ask for. Her parents were loving and her siblings were caring. There couldn't have been a more pristine picture of the pinacle of a happy home. That all came to a crashing end as the Second War began. Ashterra's family was ruthlessly slaughtered by Orc raiders as they cut their way through Azeroth. Ash managed to survive by hiding beneath corpse of her father who was viciously slain. The shock of it all should have broken the young girl's mind, but instead it steeled her resolve. She would not let them get away with what had happened. She would avenge her fallen family. As the Second War came to a close, Ashterra was now living in the streets of Stormwind. She had thrown away the mantle of nobility and had taken in with a local gang of thugs. She quickly earned a reputation amongst the denizens who roamed the slums; she was quick to anger and fast to exact retribution. Those that dealt with her called her "The Hand" meaning the "Hand of Death". Even at such a young age, she was able to secure high-profile contracts because of her skill. Of course, her reputation was noted by the local authority and they took steps to take her into custody. She managed to avoid capture for some time but was finally caught by Stormwind Secret Police in a massive sting operation to bring her down. She was charged with multiple counts of murder, assault and battery, grand larceny, extortion and blackmail. Through out the proceedings she was like a statue; never once giving any sign that she cared or that anyone else was even there. She was imprisoned in the Stockades pending a public execution within a day of her imprisonment. Pathonia Shaw and The Stormwind Assassins Three hours before dawn, before her head was to be cut from her shoulders, Ashterra was saved by two mysterious individuals. They introduced themselves as Pathonia and Matthias Shaw, and they explained to Ashterra that she had two choices. Choice one was the obvious; death by the executioners axe. Choice two was much more preferable. They explained that they had taken note of her ability, and told her she had the potential to be better. They offered her a way to continue doing what she was good at while avoiding that little detail known as punishment for the crime. She would become an assassin of Stormwind, serving her King and country. Ashterra couldn't refuse. She joined up and was immediately freed, the charges against her stricken from the record. She was younger than all of the rest of the assassins, but she was more dangerous and they knew it. She was sent on very dangerous jobs and always came back with success. She basked in it; she was doing what she was good at and at the same time was exacting some revenge against the race that slaughtered her family. Marshall Coldforge and the 45th Rangers Regiment As the Third War reared its head, Ashterra rose to the challenge. By now, she was an accomplished assassin having earned a vast wealth from her jobs. Plus, she was able to work side contracts for the highest bidder and still keep it quiet. But with word of undead in the North along with whispers of a demonic presence, Ash felt it best that her skills were used on the front. She was "shadowed" into an advanced infantry unit that was pushing the northern lines. She spilled demonic blood, lots of it, and sent a number of undead to their final deaths. Or so she thought. The vast numbers of the Sourge seemed to grow more and more every day. Then of course, the Alliance drew back from Lordaeron, and crossed the great ocean to Kalimdor. It was here that Ashterra nearly met her end. Her unit was decimated on the slopes of Hyjal, and she very nearly died if not for the intervention of Marshall Lagrathan Coldforge and his men of the Big Deal. She stayed with the Dwarf, who personally tended to her wounds and nursed her back to health. In the aftermath of the war, she grew close to the Dwarf who eventually called her his daughter. She was able to open up to him about memories long buried, and for the first time was able to face them head on and accept what had happened. Upon her return to Stormwind, Matthias Shaw confronted her about her past as well. He informed her of her nobility and wealth and that she wasn't just a street urchin. She was intruiged by this notion, it was something she could use to her advantage. Between her and Shaw they handled keeping her identity a secret and worked to rebuild her lands in Westfall. She transfered the bulk of her wealth to several Goblin owned banks for easy access. After all this was done, she disappeared again, going to Thelsamar to work alongside her Commander, Lager. =The Shadow Hall= Ashterra couldn't tell you exactly what occurred to make the Big Deal join up with the notorious Shadow Hall. She was hardly where her unit it was located due to her chosen profession. She knows that she went to Valiance Keep to check in one day, weeks after the unit first arrived, and the Commanding officer of the site informed her that the unit had been moved to Grizzly Hills following a scandal. Ashterra arrived in time to see Lager and his new business partner, Wulffsbane as he was called, making plans to hitch a ride south to Kalimdor. She laughed and bid them well and went on with her own business; investigating this group that she was now affiliated with. She spent several weeks shadowing key members, watching their day to day activites. She had heard of them of course; any self-respecting rogue based in Stormwind had heard of them. They had an up and down relationship with Stormwind throughout their history, and were more than just a glorified crew. When she determined that the Big Deal wouldn't be in any trouble with the Hall, she consigned herself to the affiliation and headed back to Grizzly Hills to try and keep things in order there until Lager's return. =Out of Character Notes= Ashterra is played by the player of Lager and Ginness. Please feel free to discuss any ideas with me at any time! Category:Members Category:Rogues